More than 400 delegates from 71 Commonwealth nations who will gather in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo from November 5-9 are expected to decide whether Abuja (Nigeria) or Glasgow (Scotland) wins the right to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The decision will be announced on Friday November 9 at 6pm (GMT +5:30hrs), ending months of preparation and a week of intense lobbying by the candidate cities, the games secretariate said Monday.
Glasgow is firm favourite to win the race after its bid received a significantly more positive evaluation than its only rival, the Nigerian capital Abuja.
The Commonwealth Games Federation's technical analysis of the two cities' readiness to host the Games, published in September noted that Glasgow had "demonstrated an understanding of the major requirements to stage the Commonwealth Games," and was in a position to deliver an event that would "enhance the image and prestige of the Games".
In contrast, the report noted that Abuja's bid contain